Marinepool Confirmed As Title Sponsor Of The 2010 Marinepool Melges 24 World Championship

Tallinn, Estonia - 3 May 2010 - In just three months time the International Melges 24 fleet will gather in Tallinn, Estonia, to prepare for its 2010 World Championship and lining up to support the event as title sponsor is sailing clothing and marine fashion specialist Marinepool. 
 
Headquartered in Munich, Germany, Marinepool is one of the top producers of sailing clothing, deck shoes, maritime fashion and accessories world wide with more than 2,000 retail partners and outlets in 38 countries and is the biggest producer of life jackets for the leisure market in Europe.  Winner of the Global Sport Style Award, Marinepool is the official clothing partner of Travemuende Sailing Week, Regates Royales, Dusseldorf Boat Show and some of the World's top sailing teams including RC44 Sea Dubai and RC44 AEZ, Extreme 40 Wirsol, match race professional Sebastien Col, Melges 32 Team Fantastica and many of the top athletes in Olympic sailing like Olympic Champion Sofia Bekatorou (GRE), 49er cracks Dyen/Christidis (FRA), 470 stars Charbonnier/Mayer (FRA) and many more.

"The Melges24 Class is an ideal partner for Marinepool. It is one of the most competitive classes in the world, great fun to watch and sail, tough on the athletes and the equipment and a class where the level of competition is so high that meticulous preparation and top gear can make all the difference. No wonder that many teams in the class are using Marinepool sailing gear". Christoph Stadler, Communication Manager, Marinepool
 
More than 80 teams from at least 15 nations are expected to compete in the 2010 Marinepool Melges 24 World Championship, to be hosted by the Kalev Yacht Club from 5 to 12 August at its base in the Pirita Olympic Harbour, which was purpose built for the 1980 Olympics and offers outstanding facilities.  Sailing will take place on the Bay of Tallinn where the varied conditions are likely to make this one of the most challenging Melges 24 World Championships to date.
 
Teams keen to train on the World Championship race area are invited to take part in the Estonian Open Melges 24 Championship, which will also be hosted by the Kalev Yacht Club from 30 July to 1 August.  Racing will be run by Worlds PRO Lars Nyqvist, on the championship race area in the Bay of Tallinn making it the perfect warm up opportunity.

 
Registration for the 2010 Marinepool Melges 24 World Championship will open on Wednesday 4 August, there will be tune up racing on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 August and World Championship racing will take run from Saturday 7 to Thursday 12 August with 12 races scheduled.  The event will also feature a full social programme allowing the Estonian hosts to demonstrate their legendary hospitality and love of a good party!
 
Notice of Race, Online Entry, logistical information and all the latest updates are available from the 2010 Marinepool Melges 24 World Championship Event Website and via the event's Facebook Group.
 
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An Introduction To The Competitors
 
Among those expected to compete in the 2010 Marinepool Melges 24 World Championship are reigning Melges 24 European and 2008 World Champion UKA UKA Racing Team, owned by Lorenzo Santini and helmed by Lorenzo Bressani.  To date the only helmsman to win two Melges 24 World titles is the legendary Vince Brun and Bressani and the UKA UKA team clearly have their sights set on equaling that record.
 
Also confirmed as attending is Bressani's Melges 24 nemesis Flavio Favini who will once again be helming Blu Moon for Switzerland's Franco Rossini.  For the past two years Favini and Bressani have been trading places on racecourses around the globe and, having won his first Melges 24 World Championship in 2001, Favini is equally keen to get his hands on the Trophy for that elusive second time.
 
For some years the Italian teams have been dominating the Melges 24 scene but the early season Melges 24 Volvo Cup events have produced interesting results indicating that the Italians are less likely to have it all their own way this year.  One of those threatening to break the Italian domination is local hero and Estonian Olympic Silver Medalist Tonu Toniste sailing Lenny.  A regular face in the class for some years Toniste has been showing excellent form this season finishing fourth at the most recent Melges 24 Volvo Cup event in Scarlino.  With a home waters advantage and huge local support he will be hoping to become the first Estonian to win the Melges 24 Worlds. 

 
Another Baltic region competitor to look out for will be Norway's Eivind Mellaby whose Full Metal Jacket crew finished third at the 2010 Melges 24 Worlds in Annapolis.  Having recently placed eighth at the Star Worlds in Rio de Janeiro and with many years of experience in the Melges 24 as well as a fondness for light airs he will definitely be one to watch.
 
Alongside the top European teams entries are also expected from Japan, Australia, the Republic of South Africa and the USA.  Although brand new to the class three time South African Olympic Finn Class representative Ian Ainslie has shown some impressive speed on his first few outings this season and will have high hopes of a podium finish.  Japan's Tetsuy Matsunaga, who represented his country in the 470 Class at the Beijing Olympics, made his first appearance on the International Melges 24 scene at the 2009 Europeans where he showed formidable potential.  Having now spent a year honing his skills in the boat Matsunaga has his eye on becoming the first Asian winner of the Melges 24 Worlds.  
Close competition is also expected in the Corinthian (all amateur) division.  In Porto Cervo in 2008 Norway's Sivert Denneche was tactician aboard the Corinthian World Championship winning Melges 24 Terra Eindomsmeging.  In Hyeres in 2009 he helmed Storm Capital Racing to victory in the Corinthian Melges 24 European Championship.  In 2010 Denneche and his Storm Capital Racing team will be in Tallinn and he has his sights clearly set on taking that Corinthian Melges 24 Worlds Trophy.  Tonu Toniste may have other ideas however, as he too will be racing in the Corinthian Division and must long to be the first person ever to take both the Overall and Corinthian titles in the same year. 
 
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Members of the press who would like to receive further information about the 2010 Marinepool Melges 24 World Championship or who wish to attend the event should contact IM24CA Administrator & Media Coordinator Fiona Brown on E-mail fiona.brown@melges24.com, Skype fpbrown or Tel +44 (0)7711 718470.
 
For further information about Marinepool please contact Christoph Stadler on +44 (0)79 20003291 or  E-mail christoph@marinepool.com.